The No. 5 Washington Huskies will travel to Los Angeles in Week 10 to face the No. 24. USC Trojans in a Pac-12 clash.
Washington remains undefeated, while the Trojans have dealt with some adversity recently, losing consecutive games to Notre Dame and Utah before barely surviving a shootout with Cal.
Read on for Washington Huskies vs USC Trojans college football picks and predictions for Saturday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Washington vs USC Odds
Track our latest CFB odds for Huskies vs Trojans:
NCAAF lines used for Washington vs USC were current as of Oct. 29 at 9:15 p.m. ET on DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Moneyline: Washington (-192) • USC (+160)
- Spread: Washington -3.5 (-110) • USC +3.5 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 76.5 (-110) • Under 76.5 (-110)
With two of the best quarterbacks in the country preparing to square off, the total is set at a sky-high 76.5 – one of the highest you’ll see all year.
The spread is listed at a key number of 3.5, giving USC’s side a favorable hook, but the Huskies are more than capable of winning by more than a field goal.
Washington vs USC Prediction
SCORE PICK: Washington 54, USC 38
After Washington’s undefeated record survived two consecutive close-call victories, it needs to pick up some style points as the time draws nearer for the College Football Playoff Selection Committee to make seeding decisions.
Last week, Stanford had the ball and just a two-point deficit with five minutes left in the game, and the week before that, the Huskies needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat 1-6 Arizona State.
This is a great opportunity to buy low on one of the best teams in the country. Heisman candidate Michael Penix Jr. had a much better day against Stanford, which is encouraging for the Over, and Kalen DeBoer knows that his team needs to bank some wins with a brutal end of schedule coming up.
Meanwhile, USC is absolutely reeling. After back-to-back ugly losses, it won by just a point against a Cal team that is now 1-4 in conference play.
Caleb Williams and the offense will hang some points on Washington, like Stanford and Oregon did, but it won’t be enough in a game in which the Trojan defense will struggle to find a single stop.
Washington vs USC Best Bets
Washington -3.5 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
Jalen McMillan’s status for this game is up in the air as he deals with a knee injury, and his absence was felt against a quietly-talented Arizona State defense.
It didn’t matter much last week against Stanford, as McMillan’s fellow star wideouts Ja’Lynn Polk and Rome Odunze picked up the slack and combined for 237 yards.
USC’s defense is slightly better than Stanford’s, but it still ranks outside of the top 100 by most metrics.
Williams and the offense should be able to move the ball on a defense that Stanford exposed to a degree, but Alex Grinch’s unit is set for another rough day.
Over 76.5 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
This number seems comically high, but these two teams can surpass it – and they can do it with time to spare.
USC’s offense ranks seventh in the country in EPA per play, and in case you think it’s just about Williams and the air game, they’re eighth in EPA per play when rushing.
On the other side of the ball, Washington’s offense has been even more efficient, ranking third by the same passing metric. It doesn’t have a run game like USC’s, but that’s all the better for the Over – if Washington is throwing early and often, it will keep the pace high and maximize possessions for both sides.
Washington vs USC Same-Game Parlay
Washington vs USC SGP (+188)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 units
- Washington (-192)
- Over 76.5 (-110)
With limited options for a same-game parlay early in the week, we’ll just do a variation of the two picks already detailed. We’ll stick with the Over, but instead of backing Washington on the spread, we’ll remove a bit of risk and hit the moneyline.
This protects us against a true shootout, in which USC keeps pace and Washington needs a late field goal to win, for example.
These two picks go hand in hand; projecting a lot of points implies that USC will contribute somewhat significantly to the scoring, so it makes sense to pair the over with the moneyline rather than Washington’s spread.
